Clothes-pin.



L. HAMM.

CLGTHES PIN.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.24. I915- Paiented'June 26, 1917.

LEAMON HAMIVI, OF BANGOR, MAINE.

CLOTHES-PIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 26, 1917.

Application filed August 24, 1915. Serial No. 47,100.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 'I, LEAMON HAMM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bangor, in the county of Penobscot, State of .Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Pins; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to spring wire clothes pins and has for its object to pro vide an improved and eflicient structure wherein the clamping faces may be caused to recede when the members carrying them are pinched together.

In the drawings,, 7

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved clothes pin formed from a single length of resilient wire.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the improved pin.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the improved pin looking toward the fixed jaw member thereof.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 through the head portion of the device.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the preferred embodiment of the improved clothes pin is formed from a single length of resilient wire intermediately coiled to provide a helix 5 and the wire at the ends of the helix is offset inwardly at 6 and extended at 7 a and 8*, respectively, to form respective parts of a pair of arms 7 and 8, the other parts of which are formed by bending the wire and extending it backwardly at 9 and 10, respectively. The part 10 is extended to the helix and passed therethrough and bent therearound at 11 to form an eye which serves to retain the loops of the helix together in addition to providing a securing means for that part of the arm. The other part 9 is directed at 12 outwardly between the sides 8 and 10 of the arm 8 at a point adjacent the helix 5 and it is then extended longitudinally of and beyond the arm 8 as shown at 13, terminating in a loop 14 which extends across and normally lies against the arm 8. This looped end portion 14 forms one clamping .jaw of the clothes pin while the arm 8 forms the other clamping jaw. The loop 14 lies about midway of the length of the arm 8 and when the arms 7 and 8 are grasped and pinched toward each other, the jaw forming loop 14 is moved away from the jaw forming portion of the arm 8 to receive between them the clothes line and the article thereon. When the arms 7 and 8 are released, the clamping jaws come together to clamp and hold the article to the line.

An exceedingly simple device has thus been provided which'may be very readily manipulated to attach it on a clothes line, as one of the gripping arms forms in itself one of the clamping jaws whereby an exceedingly compact structure is provided.

While I have illustrated and described a particular embodiment of my invention, I have merely done so for the sake of convenience and I do not wish to be limited to that particular embodiment as it is obvious that numerous changes may be made within the details of construction thereof without in any way departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

A clothes pin comprising a spring wire having a helix at its intermediate portion, the wire at one end of the helix extending away from the helix for apo-rtion of its length, and then returning upon itself to provide spaced members, the wire at the other end of the helix extending also away from the helix for a portion of its length and then lying returned upon itself and hav ing its extremity extending between said spaced members and terminating in a portion lying transversely of and normally against the said spaced members, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

LEAMON I-IAMM.

Witnesses:

RALPH W. NAsoN, ARTHUR H. BLACK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

